Multistorey residential building Ljubata

The multi-story residential building Ljubata is located in the residential neighborhood of Lozenets in the Bulgarian capital Sofia. The architectural design was undertaken by Aedes Studio Ltd. (architect Plamen Bratkov) and designer Ing. V. Kardzhiev.

The recessed ground floor, resembling a long stone strip, is interrupted at several points by entrances, with the distribution board serving as its visual extension. The building is fully bordered by a sidewalk that seamlessly continues the stone cladding, thereby visually leveling the sloping terrain.

In a certain sense, the building begins only from the first floor. This effect is enhanced by the bay windows protruding from the façade and the glass band that lights up in the evening. This band runs uninterrupted around the entire perimeter of the building, concealing structural elements behind it. The main mass of the structure is clad in wooden slats. The cladding features openings for windows and balconies, some of which have wooden shutters set flush with the façade. Towards the southeast, where the largest space remains in front of the building, the principle shifts: instead of cladding with openings, there is a window display with several wooden covers. In the interest of a light appearance, the wooden slats run along the sloped roof without visible changes.

The illumination of the upper floors is designed sensitively, taking into account the façade and façade windows. Roof windows distribute natural daylight to all necessary spaces.

The house is divided into four sections of varying sizes, enhancing the sense of individuality of its residents and visually reducing the mass volume. The boundaries of the individual sections are defined by glass strips that recess into the building and extend the full height from the line above the stone cladding to the roof ridge. The pronounced division of the façade breaks up the large mass, and when viewed from the street, the building resembles traditional terraced apartment houses. This impression is reinforced by the materials used, primarily wood and stone, which evoke a deeply rooted Bulgarian construction tradition and its natural beauty. Even with its large volume, the building appears airy and fits into the structure of the surrounding development.